Brooklyn Heights, NY - Graduate student Ana Martinovic had a solid all-around match with 13 kills, 16 digs, and six service aces to lead the Hofstra volleyball team to a four-set win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Tuesday evening. 

The Pride won by set scores of 25-22, 19-25, 25-18, and 25-12. Hofstra is now 2-2 on the year, while St. Francis Brooklyn falls to 1-3.

The six service aces marked a new career-high for Martinovic, while junior Athina Dimitriadis tied her for match-high honors with 13 kills and junior Zyare Abdul-Rahim tallied 12 kills and a match-high six blocks. 

Hofstra jumped out early in the match with a three-point win in the first stanza before the Terriers evened things up in the second set. 

The Pride would take over at that point as Hofstra hit at a .394 clip and held St. Francis Brooklyn to a .061 hitting percentage in the third set to take the lead in the match. It was an even more dominating effort in the final set as the Pride nearly hit .500 (.481) and a stout defensive effort forced the Terriers into a .038 attack percentage in cruising to the 13-point victory and the win in the match. 

Freshman Chiara Cucco, who was named the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week on Monday, picked up a match-high 19 digs for the Pride. Fellow freshman Beatriz Alves tallied 45 assists, seven digs, and four kills. 

Carla Hernandez led the Terriers with 10 kills. 

Hofstra returns to action this weekend when it travels to the Fairfield Invitational. The Pride will face Kent State and Seton Hall on Friday and the host Stags on Saturday. 

NOTES
- Hofstra is now 9-0 all-time against St. Francis Brooklyn. Today marked the first meeting between the teams since 2014. 
- Martinovic's previous career-high of four service aces came against Tennessee State on September 9, 2017. It was also the most for a Hofstra player since Luisa Sydlik tallied six against William & Mary on October 26, 2019.